Veteran – Tal Ronnen- The Conscious Cook

I am excited to share this recipe with you! Maintenance Mommy recieved permission to share some of

Tal Ronnen’s recipes on our site. We “Whole Food Mommies” absolutely LOVE Tal Ronnen’s “The Conscious Cook”. It has fabulous VEGAN recipes with wonderful pictures. I always get excited looking through it, because most of the recipes seem very doable!

2. Make the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, or until soft in the middle and lightly browned (I usually roast them 20 minutes- I like them when they are more roasted).

3. Make the dressing

4. Make the tortilla strips if desired OR use a pre-packaged brand. Pour 2 inches of oil into a small, heavy pot and heat until the oil shimmers. Add the tortilla strips and fry until crisp and browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towells and sprinkle with the Cajun seasoning.

5. Assemble the salads: Place a 3-inch ring mold in the center of the salad plate (I use a wide-mouth mason jar ring for this). Fill with 1/4 of the quinoa mixture and press down with a spoon to pack the mold, smoothing the top. Place 1/4 of the sweet potato pieces on top of the quinoa and press down gently. Top with 1/4 of the avocado and press down gently. Carefully remove the mold. Repeat on the remaining salad plates.

6. Carefully place tortilla stips and diced tomatoes on top of the salads and drizzle with the dressing.

Makes 4 large servings

Here is how it looks without the mold…not as pretty- but just as yummy!